City Of The Dead
by Dr Metuza
Summary: Murder, Intrigue, and Voodoo for The Doctor and Peri in the 1930's Caribbean. Can The Doctor solve the mysterious murder and the mystery of Voodoo island? Please R and R
1. Episode One, Part One

Doctor Who: City of the Dead

Featuring the 6th Doctor and Peri

Jarvis hung his head and leaned back in his beat up rod iron outdoor chair, taking a drink of bourbon, trying to flush out the memory of another hard day in the fields. The drum at the mill telling the workers to go home was like the heartbeat of the earth in the background, causing a feeling of uneasiness to enter his stomach. "Only three more weeks" he kept telling himself, reminding him of when the next payment from the company would arrive. Jarvis Rand inherited the sugar plantation from his father five years ago and has served as crop manager ever since. His normal day consisted of standing out in the hot, blazing sun and making sure that workers remained on schedule. He could only imagine how hard the work must be for the harvesters. He employed mostly natives, so he had a rudimentary knowledge of local tongues, which allowed him to better conduct business in the city. He reached into the pocket of his dirt and sweat stained pants, pulling out his faithful clock which read 6:12. "I better wash before dinner" he thought as he arose from his restful seat overlooking another beautiful March sunset.

The family estate was a large home, sitting on the highest point on the island, which was only about 100 feet above sea level. The home was built several generations before, and has seen expansion as the result of business success. Jarvis' older brother Martin was the head of the estate and his father's insurance company. Martin was much better educated than Jarvis, having graduated from Harvard business school after studying overseas. Jarvis was trained mainly as an assistant to Mr. Benton, the man whom Jarvis' father put in control of the mill. Mr. Benton was much older now, and lived retired on the estate, handling the paperwork of the factory.

At about 6:45, the dinner bell rang, and in a few moments, the residents of the estate were sitting at the table awaiting their meal. Mr. Benton arrived in a wheel chair with his nurse, Catherine, who has been tending to his well being since his forced retirement after his accident. Martin entered with a satisfied look on his face, looking ready to brag about his latest business deal. Jarvis was exhausted and immediately reached for the liquor decanter that was always full and on the table every evening. Usually Jarvis would take a drink or two, but lately he has been increasing his intake. This trend drew an admonishment from his brother.

"You really shouldn't drink that stuff, Jarvis. It is no good for your health" said Martin who was seated across the table from Jarvis.

"Well, to each his own, I suppose, Martin" said Jarvis who laughed to himself as he greedily filled his glass and took a deep drink, coughing as he set his glass back down.

Jarvis drew a glare from both Mr. Benton and Martin. He quickly attempted to

explain himself. "Well it's just that crops have been way down this year, and we were barely making shipment orders as it was. I just don't know what I will do if the mill gets shut down" He then took another drink before Martin tried to reassure him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Jarvis, the mill will remain in operation. We may have to cut back slightly but"---- Jarvis interrupted

"Don't talk down to me!" began the slightly inebriated Jarvis, "I know that the company is falling on hard times. I know that we can' afford to hold that dead weight for long before we lose the estate!" Jarvis' voice gradually raised its volume before he finished.

Martin remained cool headed and addressed his brother. "I think you should take a rest for awhile, Jarvis, fatigue and alcohol can adversely affect you." Martin finished with a smile and a pat on Jarvis' shoulder.

Jarvis' exhaustion began to set in and he was too tired to argue with his brother, so he left the table without a word and stumbled up the stairs to his bedroom. Martin stared blankly with his hand on his chin, looking severe, before Mr. Benton interjected.

"You cannot hide the facts forever, Martin."

After a moment of reflection, Martin turned to Benton with a slight grin and answered. "Desperate times call for desperate measures"

The Doctor walked into the TARDIS with his head held high, Peri following behind with a grimace on her face as she carried in heavy supplies on her back.

"Gee, Doctor, thanks for carrying the heavy stuff" she sarcastically stated

"Oh, you're more than welcome, my dear!" he said as he fiddled with a tennis racket, the only item he brought in.

Peri tossed the luggage she was carrying down to the ground and took a seat, catching her breath.

"Be careful, Peri! That gear is priceless!" The Doctor said, not noticing Peri's mocking countenance.

"I'm afraid I'm not quite the sportsman I once was," said the Doctor, who looked depressed as he examined his tennis racket. "I might not even have to let you win anymore"

"Let me win?" Peri put her hands on her hips and directed her anger directly at the Doctor. "I beat you in five straight sets, and YOU were the one that needed to take a break to catch up!"

"Merely part of the act, my dear" the Doctor said, with a wry smile on his face, admitting that he was wrong.

"Well, what shall we do next?" the Doctor said excitedly as he began to adjust the TARDIS controls.

Peri shuffled across the floor with her head hung low. "Play Cricket! Play golf! Play tennis! I think I need to rest for a minute, maybe we should go to the beach or something" Peri said, pleading with the Doctor.

The Doctor, seemingly unaware of Peri's remark, put his hand on his chin, as if seriously contemplating something, and commented. "Sports are very good for one's health, but on the other hand, they tend to be somewhat taxing, so I think it would be a good idea if we, go to a serene lake, or, better yet, a beach. Yes, I think that a little rest is in order"

Peri sat back in her chair and rolled her eyes. The Doctor stood at the console, looking proud of himself before addressing Peri.

"That was a good idea of mine, wasn't it?" he said, unaware of Peri's comment earlier. Peri just ignored his statement and began about their location. "So where are we headed, Doctor?"

"Oh, I don't know, Deraubus, perhaps, or maybe Dulkis, although my last trip there was somewhat 'unpleasant' shall we say." The Doctor began, quickly cycling through his usual short list of destinations.

"How about Earth?" Peri interjected.

The Doctor stopped mumbling inaudible locations and turned to Peri.

"Earth? Earth?" The Doctor became indignant. "Of all the places! How many times have you seen the sun set and rise on Earth? A few thousand?"

Peri was somewhat flustered but continued her campaign. "Well I don't know, maybe we could go to the Caribbean; I've always wanted to spend some more time there."

The Doctor noticed that he upset Peri and apologized.

"I'm sorry, Peri, I just, its, well, this regeneration is going to take a little longer to get used to then I thought. The Caribbean it is, then" he finished with a smile on his face.

WOOSH, WOOSH. The familiar sound of the TARDIS landing filled the air around the serene Caribbean seascape. The sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon, causing a glistening effect on the water that made look as if it were on fire. Birds just arising made their calls and the tranquil flow of the tide on the beach provided a rhythm for the day to begin. The Doctor peered out the TARDIS door, almost embarrassed, looking for anybody in the near vicinity before being pushed out of the TARDIS. Peri was nearly uncontrollably laughing as the Doctor revealed his swim attire. He was wearing a yellow and red striped leotard type suit with orange flip flops.

"You look ridiculous, Doctor!" Peri fit in between belly laughs.

The Doctor looked down and a frown came across his face.

"Well I'll admit that I have not yet corrected my previous mistakes in the field of sartorial taste yet, but that is no excuse to make fun of me!"

"I'm sorry, Doctor, it's just that-" Peri started before laughing again. The Doctor put his hands on his hips, making him look slightly more comical, if that was possible. He waited for about ten seconds before commenting.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked in a mocking tone

"Yes, Doctor, I'm sorry" said Peri half chuckling.

"Well, I suggest that we do a little relaxing then, shall we?" said the Doctor

"I agree" Peri said as she walked toward the ocean.

The Doctor set up his beach chair and plopped down in it, sighing deeply as he reached for his book.

"Hey, Doctor, want to do some surfing?" Peri asked, but she noticed that the Doctor was actually not reading, but sleeping. Peri laughed to herself, knowing that the Doctor did not want anyone to notice his cat nap. Peri walked up the beach, occasionally tossing shells into the tide. The Doctor was just about fully asleep when he was stirred from his rest.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

The familiar scream of Peri cut through the air, calling the Doctor to attention. He quickly tossed aside his book and began scanning the beach for her.

"Peri!" The Doctor yelled as he ran out to meet her along the bank.

"What is it, Peri!" He continued.

When he found her, she was crying and held her hand over her face.

"Oh my word!" said the Doctor as he gazed upon the hideous sight of a corpse.

"Three days dead at least I would say" the Doctor noted as he bent over for a closer look.

"It's horrible, Doctor!" Peri said in a shaky voice.

The Doctor turned to Peri and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go get the authorities, I will handle things here." The Doctor suggested.

Peri nodded and headed for the main island while the Doctor continued to examine the body.

"That's odd" noted the Doctor as he noticed a strange black mark on the body's face.

"It looks deliberate…" he thought to himself, then after a moment of thought he knew what he was looking on.

"The mark of the voodoo!"

Author's Note: OK, bear with me on this one, it will pick up in ch.2 Stay Tuned!


	2. Episode One, Part Two

The City of the Dead

Episode One: Part Two

The Doctor stood over the corpse, pondering the implications of the voodoo mark. The Doctor knew little about voodoo culture, but knew enough to recognize the mark of the voodoo, and that whenever you see it, get away. He never believed in the power of magic or hocus pocus, and today was no different.

He rifled through the man's pockets and found an ID.

"Jarvis Rand" the Doctor read to himself. "Poor chap, I wonder what he was doing that got him into so much trouble"

Before too long, Peri returned with a local officer and directed him to the corpse. The policeman, officer LeFevre, addressed the Doctor after getting out a notepad.

"How long ago did you find this man?" he started

"About fifteen minutes ago" the Doctor responded

"Was he like this when you first saw him?"

"Yes"

"Were there any-" he began but became flustered after noticing the voodoo mark

"Yes?" the Doctor continued

"Oh, never mind, I will move on here. Was there any ID on the man?"

The Doctor quickly thought to himself and realized that the local law enforcement are probably under the grip of the voodoo community and would try to stonewall any investigation into the murder. The Doctor slipped the man's wallet into his pocket and answered.

"No, not so much as a monogram on him"

"OK, I am going to need you two to accompany me to the town to answer a few more questions" Lefevre addressed them both with a thick French accent.

The Doctor nodded to Peri and they both hopped in the back of the officer's 1930's car.

On the ride over Peri leaned over to the Doctor,

"I think we are in the 1940's" Peri said

"Nonsense, we are clearly in the year 1935. I can tell by the smell of the air." The Doctor gloated.

A wry smile came across Peri's face as she pointed to a newspaper on the floor of the car which was dated March 30, 1941. The Doctor chose to ignore her and addressed the officer.

"I say, sir, how much longer until we reach the station?"

"We are here now, actually" Lefevre said as he parked the car and escorted the two in the building. The station itself was little more than a one story hovel with a ceiling fan, phone, and an occupied holding cell. After finishing up formalities, the Doctor and Peri were released.

"What do you think happened to that poor man, Doctor?" Peri said, unaware that the Doctor withheld information from the police.

"I don't know but I intend to find out" the Doctor said, pulling out the ID of Jarvis.

"I thought you said that there wasn't any ID on him, Doctor? Why would you lie to the police?" Peri said as the Doctor put his finger over his lips, asking her to quiet down.

"Trust me, Peri. I know what I'm doing. Now I need you to remain here and tie up officer LeFevre for a moment. I will be back at the TARDIS in about 5 hours or so."

"But Doctor, I" she stopped as the Doctor ran off down the street disappearing in the crowd of the market. "Why do I even try…" she said to herself as she headed back to the station.

_I know. Short Chapter. But more to come. Stick around. Don't forget to review! _


End file.
